NCJ Number
164392
Date Published
1995
Length
289 pages
Annotation
A 1995 survey of the prevalence of drug abuse and other health issues and behaviors among military personnel received responses from 70 percent of a sample of 16,193 military personnel from around the world.
Abstract
Results were weighted to represent all active-duty personnel and were compared with those of surveys conducted in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, and 1995. Findings revealed a significant downward trend in the use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and cigarettes. The average daily amount of alcohol consumed by military personnel decreased from 1.48 ounces in 1980 to 0.83 ounces in 1995. However, nearly one in five military personnel engaged in heavy drinking, although significant declines occurred in the percentage of military personnel experiencing alcohol-related serious consequences, productivity loss, and symptoms of dependence. The 31.9 percent rate of cigarette use was considerably above the Healthy People 2000 objective of a prevalence of no more than 20 percent among military personnel by the year 2000. Overall, 13.2 percent of military personnel used smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days. In addition, most military personnel had good mental health and appropriate coping mechanisms for managing stress, but a sizable group experience problems in these areas. Findings indicated that the greatest challenges in meeting the goals of Healthy People 2000 relate to smoking, smokeless tobacco, blood pressure screening, controlling high blood pressure, reducing injuries that require hospitalization, and increasing helmet use by bicyclists. Tables; appended instrument, additional methodological information, and tables; and 135 references